ATV and AirPlay Receiver...Overkill?

[HarryKeogh]

Hi all,

So if I have an ATV is there any good reason to get an AirPlay receiver? Would I be missing out on anything aside from artist info scrolling on the receiver's display?

 

[adbe]

Hi all,

So if I have an ATV is there any good reason to get an AirPlay receiver? Would I be missing out on anything aside from artist info scrolling on the receiver's display?

I'm assuming they're connected, so this isn't about getting sound into another room, right?

An AirPlay capable receiver offers nothing over what you have from the ATV interface. Moreover, the utility of AirPlay is greatly predicated on which extra devices you have (which you don't mention).

If you're looking to play music direct from your phone, it's probably going to be less hassle to stream straight to the receiver. If you're streaming from an iTunes client elsewhere in your home, then unless you have an iOS device running the remote app, the AppleTV definitely wins the convenience stakes.

 

[djrobsd]

Hi all,

So if I have an ATV is there any good reason to get an AirPlay receiver? Would I be missing out on anything aside from artist info scrolling on the receiver's display?

Waste of money, unless you're already in the market for a receiver in the $500 dollar price range. AppleTV2 can Airplay both video and audio. These new receivers will only do audio, which is unfortunate given they have a direct HDMI connection to the TV.

 

[HarryKeogh]

I'm assuming they're connected, so this isn't about getting sound into another room, right?

An AirPlay capable receiver offers nothing over what you have from the ATV interface. Moreover, the utility of AirPlay is greatly predicated on which extra devices you have (which you don't mention).

If you're looking to play music direct from your phone, it's probably going to be less hassle to stream straight to the receiver. If you're streaming from an iTunes client elsewhere in your home, then unless you have an iOS device running the remote app, the AppleTV definitely wins the convenience stakes.

The set-up I envision is pretty simple. HDTV with ATV, music and movies stored on iMac and using my iPad as a remote to control the streaming for media from the iMac to the ATV. So with that setup an Airplay receiver would be silly, right?

 

[newagemac]

The setup you envision is perfect. Except you'll probably want to have a surround sound receiver in there for movies. You don't need an expensive Airplay enabled receiver at all if you already have the Apple TV or an Airport Express as far as Airplay is concerned.

 

[HarryKeogh]

The setup you envision is perfect. Except you'll probably want to have a surround sound receiver in there for movies. You don't need an expensive Airplay enabled receiver at all if you already have the Apple TV or an Airport Express as far as Airplay is concerned.

I have a 7.1 receiver (not sure why I bought that instead of 5.1...it's a bit much) with hdmi inputs so I'll run the cable, ATV, and PS3 into that and run a single hdmi to the tv and let the receiver do the switching.

Thanks guys for settling this for me!

 

[Uofmtiger]

I have an AirPlay receiver and ATV2 and it is a bit redundant. However, the receiver is more convenient with AirPlay. With the receiver I own, you can start a music app, send the stream to the receiver and it will automatically turn the receiver on and start playing. You can also control the sound using the same app. With the ATV2, you have to turn the receiver on, so you will probably need to be near the remote ( of course, my receiver has an app that I can use to turn it on and control volume, but it still takes a little more effort).

I should mention that I would have the receiver even if it didn't have AirPlay...it was just an extra option they added later.